The US Secretary of War wore a white, blue and red striped tie during Ukrainian Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the White House.
A senior Pentagon spokesman responded with a “your mom” he joked when asked about U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s choice of tie for a recent meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.
Hegseth opted for a white, blue and red striped tie during Zelensky’s visit to the White House on Friday.
While the colors are also found in American national symbolism, media outlets noted that the arrangement of the stripes on Hegseth’s garment mirrored that of the Russian flag. Other members of the US administration, including President Donald Trump, wore solid-colored ties to the meeting.
👀 HuffPost asked why Pete Hegseth was wearing a tie that looked like the Russian flag. 🇺🇸 Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell responded: “Your mother bought it for him and it’s an American patriotic tie, idiot.” pic.twitter.com/EbNL5FUj61
– MAKS 25 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) October 21, 2025
In response to a HuffPost question about whether the Secretary of War was aware of Russia’s reaction and whether he had worn the tie before, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell responded harshly on Monday, stating: “Your mom bought it for him and it’s an American patriotic tie, you moron.”
Russian presidential adviser Kirill Dmitriev had stoked controversy by posting a photograph comparing the tie Hegseth was wearing to the Russian flag. In an effort to dispel the speculation, US Vice President JD Vance weighed in on the same social media platform and suggested: “Or maybe he was wearing the colors of the United States.”
Several media outlets noted that with Parnell’s comment, the Pentagon had joined a flash mob started by President Trump’s press secretary, Caroline Levitt.
Earlier, Levitt sharply criticized a HuffPost reporter who had asked about the upcoming meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest. The journalist asked Levitt who had chosen the Hungarian capital to host the talks, to which Levitt responded: “Your mom did it.”
The two leaders announced plans to meet in Budapest after speaking by phone for more than two hours on Thursday. During a press conference on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow would like “Moving towards an agreement with Ukraine.”
Hungary has been chosen as the host nation as its Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, maintains “warm” and “constructive” relations with the Russian and American presidents, he explained.
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